Experiences of Health Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Experiences of Health Workers in the COVID-19
Pandemic was published 22 Feb 2022. See more

Associate Professor Natasha Smallwood has co-authored a book, Experiences of Health Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic, together with three other Australian researchers, Associate Professor Marie Bismark (University of Melbourne), Professor Karen Willis (Victoria University) and Dr Sophie Lewis (University of Sydney).

The publisher, Routledge, describes the book:

Experiences of Health Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic shares the stories of frontline health workers—told in their own words—during the second wave of COVID-19 in Australia. The book records the complex emotions healthcare workers experienced as the pandemic unfolded, and the challenges they faced in caring for themselves, their families, and their patients. The book shares their insights on what we can learn from the pandemic to strengthen our health system and prepare for future crises.

The book draws on over 9,000 responses to a survey examining the psychological, occupational, and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline health workers. Survey participants came from all areas of the health sector, from intensive care doctors to hospital cleaners to aged care nurses, and from large metropolitan hospitals to rural primary care practices. The authors organise these free-text responses thematically, creating a shared narrative of health workers experiences. Each chapter is prefaced by a brief commentary that provides context and introduces the the themes that emerged from the survey.

This book offers a unique historical record of the experiences of thousands of healthcare workers at the height of the second wave of the pandemic and will be of great interest to anyone interested in the experiences of healthcare workers, and the psychological, organisational, healthcare policy, and social challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A/Prof Smallwood said, "It has been one of the greatest honours of my career to lead this research study. 

"We received thousands of heartfelt responses from frontline healthcare workers across Australia describing the challenges of the pandemic and the immense emotional distress it has generated. At times, our research team was in tears as we read about colleagues’ experiences across Australia. 

"We believe it is crucial to share some of these stories, as we have done in this book, in order to give frontline healthcare workers the voice and ability to push for change. The health system must evolve over time, and critically must be better able to support and sustain our vital health workforce long term."

See more:

Marie Bismark, Karen Willis, Sophie Lewis, Natasha Smallwood. Experiences of Health Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Routledge (Published 22 February 2022). ISBN 9781032132716